Phoenix: Rising From The Ashes
by ni.bear328
Summary: Post-Mockingjay, Pre-Epilogue. After all is over Katniss tries to put herself back together before realizing she can't do it alone. Peeta tries to be himself once more but knows he can't. Like his bread, he needs fire.. Rating due to later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Well I wasn't too happy once I finished reading the trilogy. Being the great writer she is, I had expected Suzanne Collins to add some details about Katniss and Peeta getting back together. Of course I was disappointed when this wasn't the case. She put us through all of their suffering after Peeta's hijacking and I think we deserved to know about how Peeta proposed. So I decided to give y'all my take on how the fought for each other once again :)**

** Disclaimer: I do not own the Hunger Games. Or Peeta, sadly :( If I did, a lot would be different. All characters belong to Suzanne Collins.**

Ch1: Cheese Buns

Ever since returning from the Capitol, I'd been a mess. Greasy Sae cooked for me every day. Not that I ate. I mostly just picked at my food. Usually I spent my day laying in bed; I didn't sleep much, but when I did, I woke up crying and screaming. The worst nightmare I'd had came the day that Peeta had planted the primrose bushes outside my house. I dreamt that Snow tortured my mother, Prim, and Gale. I was chained to a wall, forced to watch without being able to help. Both the white floor and the white walls were covered in their blood. Gale was passed out after getting beat with a bat. My mother had cuts all over her face and blood running down her arms. Snow approached Prim, hold a throwing knife. He looked at me as he stood in front of her. A door to my right opened and two Peacekeepers dragged a dead body in. The hair was matted with blood and so wad the face but I instantly knew it was Peeta.

I woke up screaming, with tears running down my face. Whatever progress I had made was now gone. I curled up into a ball and just laid in my bed for a few day without sleeping. Sae came by every day and tried to get me out of bed, to no avail. I just lay there crying or staring at the wall. That is, until Haymitch paid me a visit. Greasy Sae must have told him I refused to get out of bed. He stood next to my bed glaring at me for a while. I didn't care enough to even look at him, so I just continued to stare at the wall.

"Katniss."

I still wouldn't look at him.

"For someone who survived two Hunger Games, and the rebellion, you're weaker than I thought. Don't you see how much that boy needs you?" Peeta needs me?

"He knows where to find me." I said without looking at him. He laughed at me, making me somewhat angry and finally making me look at him instead of the wall.

"Sweetheart, don't you see? That boy had come to you. Several times at that. All you have ever done is shut him out and push him away. Did you think he had nothing better to do than plant some damn flowers?" I didn't answer him. This seemed to make him angry. "Damn it, Katniss! You're being selfish, do you know that? If it were the other way around you bet that boy would do whatever he could to fucking help you!"

That's the last thing he said to me before leaving.

If the plan was to get me out of bed, it worked. A few minutes after he was gone, I decided to get up from bed. I went into my bathroom to shower and I looked at myself in the mirror. After 4 months, my hair hadn't grown much, but that's probably because I wasn't eating. It was up to my shoulders now, but in uneven layers. It was sticking up at the weirdest places due to how dirty it was. The scars on my arms were pretty bad, but somehow that didn't matter at this moment.

I ended up having to wash my hair three times to finally get it clean, and I was surprised by the amount of dirt that came off me. I wrapped myself in a bath robe and went to my room to change into clean clothes. Once I go into my bedroom I noticed my bed sheets had been changed and my bed had been made. Sae had been here while I was in the shower. I went to my drawers to look for clothes and ended up choosing a flowy top with some tights underneath. I wore no shoes as I went downstairs to my kitchen.

The kitchen proved the fact that Sae had been there. There was a pot that held squirrel stew. Realizing I was hungrier than I thought, I put some of the stew in a bowl and sat down to eat. As I was raising the stew to my lips I saw them. In the middle of my table, was a plate full of cheese buns. And they smelled amazing. I couldn't believe Peeta still remembered. It feels like a million years ago that I had told him how much I loved his cheese buns. My stomach growled and I picked one up. I moaned as I took a bite. They tasted amazing. I ended up eating six, except I ate them so quickly it was almost as if I had inhaled them. I ate a few spoonfuls of the stew and threw the remains out before washing my plate and spoon.

I went to sit back down on the chair. I wanted to go thank him but what if he attacks me again? I hadn't seen him since he planted the primroses. But even then I hadn't really talked to him. Or been close to him. Haymitch was right though; he tried. The cheese bunds were proof of that. I decided it was time to finally put some effort. It wasn't fair that he did all the work while all I ever did was push him away. I still found it hard to believe he needed me considering how well he was doing. He was selling bread and pastries to those who came back to District 12. He was even rebuilding his family bakery and it was due to open in less than a month. I rose from my chair and decided to try anyway. Haymitch may be drunk all the time but he knows more than he probably should.

I went to my pantry to retrieve a container to put some stew in. I wasn't sure he was going to like it but I couldn't just go empty handed. after I had filled up the container I walked over to Peeta's house, which was right across from mine; the walk didn't take long. His kitchen light was on, even though it was ten pm. He was probably trying out some new recipes. I paused at the door, unsure of whether I should be doing this. I rang the doorbell before I could change my mind. When he opened it he looked at me like maybe he was imagining me standing there and he had gone crazy. He was more beautiful than I remembered.

"Katniss?"

"Hi Peeta" I said while trying to offer him a smile.

"Would you like to come in?" He asked uncertainly.

"Oh, no thanks. It's fine. I just wanted to thank you for the cheese buns. I brought you some stew, too." The shock that came across his face shocked me.

"Y-you're welcome. It was no problem.."

"Well..I'll see you later" I said to him. There was so much I wanted to say to him, but I said nothing. I only smiled at him; more than I'd even accomplished in the few months I'd been here. I waved at him and turned around and headed home.

Once I was inside of my house, I noticed how cold I was. I quickly threw logs into the fire place and started a fire. I grabbed the blanket hanging on the back rest of my couch and sat cross legged on the couch closest to the fire place. I began to wonder what I was going to do. I needed Peeta, that much was obvious to me by the tugging I had felt in my heart as I walked away from him. But he actually had a life outside of me. And pretty soon he would also have his bakery. I had only gone hunting three times since coming back. And the last time I had ended up worse off once I got home than before I left. After that all I ever did was lay in my bed feeling sorry for myself.

Maybe he didn't even want to see me. Why would he after all? I was a monster who hurt people. I curled myself up into a ball on my couch, hoping that Haymitch was right, no matter how much he drank. I don't know what I would do if Haymitch was wrong.. but the cheese buns helped to reinforce what he had told me. At least Peeta was thinking of me, which was more than I had expected. That made me smile a little.

**A/N:**

**Well it wasn't my best but here it is! :D It's difficult to write without having the characters be too OOC. There's only so wiggle room ya know? SO if Katniss or Peeta were a bit off..I apologize :( It's my first story I've ever uploaded. **

**For the next chapter I want to write what Peeta was thinking when he saw Katniss at his door step.. anyway, I hope you liked it! Pleeease review? :) I hope to hear from y'all! :D **

**-Ni**


	2. Chapter 2

**I am so excited about all the views my story got! (: I just want to give a shout out to SwanQueen4055, firefoxxe, kimbaleena2002, shelimar2, and The Hunger Games fanatic for following my story (; Thanks, it means the world to me (: Now here's chapter 2.**

**(All characters STILL belong to Suzanne Collins)**

**Ch 2: Monster**

I didn't dream for the first time in months. I didn't sleep very well either. But at least I didn't wake up screaming as usual. I rubbed the sleep from eyes before going into the kitchen/ There was a brown paper bag on the table with a note next to it. I picked up the note first. It was from Peeta.

_Thanks for the stew. I __brought you_

_some cinnamon rolls to have for_

_breakfast_

_-Peeta_

I looked inside the bag and sure enough. There was four cinnamon rolls inside. They were still warm. I got a glass from one of the cabinets before pouring milk and sitting down to eat a cinnamon roll. As always, they were delicious. Peeta was an amazing baker. After eating another one, I went to take a shower. Once I was dressed in leggings, a loose shirt, and my boots, I attempted to braid my hair. The shorter parts made it difficult but I managed. I picked up my jacket before deciding to pay Haymitch a visit before going hunting.

I let myself in, not bothering with knocking. Before I reached the living room, I heard them talking. At first, I was surprised that Peeta was at Haymitch's. But then again, it made sense. Who else was he going to talk to? His family was gone. And I was of no help.

"Look, I don't know what to tell you kid. Katniss is...well...Katniss. You know what I mean. You know her better than I do and I even then I know that there's only so much you can do."

"Yes but...I don't know what to make of her actions most of the time. She changes her mind so much..."

I left not wanting to hear anymore. Ad soon as I was out of his house I ran to towards the woods.

It didn't take long to get there; the fence was knocked down during the rebellion. I sat on the rock where I used to meet Gale. I sat for a few minutes thinking about Peeta. I never wanted to be in love. But I had to be honest. I had fallen head over heels; it had been so much easier to ignore it when I had to focus on not dying. Now there was no threats because there was no Snow to worry about..I wasn't about to sort this out right though. Not on such a beautiful day; the first day I had gone hunting in months. I went to retrieve my bow and arrows and did what I knew best: I hunted.

I was glad I chose today to hunt. I had trapped a few rabbits, and even shot a pretty big deer. After dropping off my bow at its usual hiding spot, I half dragged my game bag all the way to Victor's Village. I went around to the back of my house and began to skin the the deer and rabbits. I cut the deer into steaks and the rabbits I just pretty much left alone once the fur was gone. After sticking them in the fridge I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to spend the evening alone, especially with now that I was thinking about talking to Peeta being as confused about myself as I am. I decided to go and talk to Haymitch like I had planned this afternoon. Once I got there I slammed the door in case Peeta was back. As I approached the kitchen I saw Haymitch sitting alone at the table, drinking.

"Well look who it is" I gave him a nasty look.

"Good to see you too, Haymitch" I said as I sat across from him. We sat in awkward silence until I blurted out "Haymitch I wanna talk to you. "

"About? "

"Peeta" He gave me an ugly look, as if he was judging me.

"I heard you two talking about me. I don't appreciate what you both said."

He chuckled and took a swig of whatever it ks that he's drinking. I waited for him to say something.

"Don't like hearing the truth I see."

"I don't like that you both just assumed I don't care about him at all."

"You haven't given us a reason NOT to have you? All you have ever done to him is make him think that you do and once you're done and habe gotten what you want, you just push him away." I hated the calmness of his voice as he said that. Like there's no doubt in his mind that it's the only reason why I ever wanted Peeta.

"Damn it Haymitch. You know that's not it at all. You know how much it hurt me when they were torturing him."

"Because you felt guilty. You felt that it was your fault and that you were responsible for what was being done to him. If you'd gone to see him when he got back. I'd have defended you Katniss. But you didn't. You only worried about yourself."

"Because I don't know how he feels Haymitch!"

"You don't...You fucking KNOW how he feels! He loves you! Are you fucking blind?"

"How am I supposed to know that?! He tried to kill me who knows how many times!"I

I heard a gasp and a loud thud. Peeta had been listening the whole time. There were tears in his eyes. Those beautiful crystal blue eyes.. As soon as I got up to approach him, he turned around and fled the house. I stood there looking at him as he ran away from me. I felt the tears run down my face and I dropped to the floor, covering my face with my hands. I was a monster. Here I was supposedly asking for advice to help him feel worse. I was such a hypocrite.

"Why am I such a monster Haymitch?" I sobbed. "I'm a hypocrite. Here I am, telling you I want to help him but I only caused him more pain.."

Haymitch put his arm around my shoulders and handed me his bottle. I took a big swig if it: it stung my throat badly but I didn't care. I welcomed the pain. I had done the worst thing imaginable: I hurt the only person who had seen the huge monster I was and still loved me anyway. I had hurt Peeta...

"Haymitch...please go after him...I wanna know that he's okay.."

"I don't think that's a good idea, sweetheart. Right now he needs to be alone for a bit, but I'll check on him first thing in the morning, alright?"

I nodded my head. There was no use arguing with him. He wasn't going to give in no matter how much I begged. Haymitch didn't want me to go home tonight; not after what had happened. He finally coaxed me into one of his guest rooms and said to call him if I needed anything. I nodded and curled myself up in the queen size bed. Once I began to cry I knew I wasn't going to sleep very much tonight.

A/N: Well this chapter was tough to write. I hate anything that hurts Peeta :( Thanks for reading! Please review! I will upload faster if you do. I also would like to know what you did or didn't like about the chapter. If you review I'll give you a sneak peak at the next chapter (through pm) which will FOR SURE be Peeta's pov on everything that has happened so far. I'm a third of the way through it so pleeeeeaaaase review? (:

xoxo

-Ni


	3. Chapter 3

**Finally, here's Chapter 3 (: I was going to update two days ago but my computer erased it and it was 2,650 words so that took a while to re-write :/ Anyway just a big shout out to BellusSicarius, ThaliaFairbain, batessm24, kateuptonrocks, and gengen00 for following my story (: And to ThaliaFaribain and The Hunger Games anatic for adding it to the favorites :D**

**As you all know, I do not own The Hunger Games. But I still wish I owned Peeta :( I did use some parts of the book however. Those are in italics and they still belong to Suzanne Collins :b**

Ch 3: Betrayal

It was good to be back in District 12. There wasn't much of it left. My parents were gone and all the houses and little shops had been destroyed. But it was still home. I missed my family. My brothers..my dad..and surprisingly my mom. Being back wasn't as tough on me as I had expected. Most likely because I hadn't lost everything. I still had Katniss. Maybe. I was excited when Dr. Aurelius declared I could come back. It meant I was I was me again. Well, as close to being me as I was probably going to get. Back in 13 I dreading coming here; I was unsure of what seeing Katniss would do. That it may trigger one of the shiny memories once again. The picture of me chocking her the first time I saw her again was forever burned into my brain. One more nightmare added to the collection. But I'd be a liar if I didn't say that I was excited to see her again. Things were never going to be the same again between us. Hopefully more in the good sense than in the bad one.

Foolish as I am, I expected her to wait for me at the station. To run into my arms once I stepped foot on the platform; she didn't. I could figure out if that was good or bad. I gave her more time thinking she may not have been told I was back yet, and that she would show up soon. When she didn't, I asked Haymitch if she was even in 12. Maybe the rumors were wrong and she had gone to another district. It wouldn't be the first time false statements were being said in the Capitol. He had said she was, but that she hadn't bothered to get out of the house since she'd been back; that if she got out of bed and down the stairs, it was a miracle.

By the time my first month here rolled around, I was baking once again. I delivered fresh bread every morning or afternoon to the few who worked to build the District back up. They always seemed grateful for the bread. I was walking past the woods one day, and I saw some primrose bushes. I instantly thought of Katniss. She would love them. I rushed home to get my wooden wagon and my shovel to take them to her. It took me awhile, but I was so excited once I successfully retrieved five bushes and took them straight to her house. I had meant it as a surprise; but before I knew it, she was looking at time from her living room window. I had just finished planting the fourth bush.

_"You're back" she says._

_"Dr. Aurelius wouldn't let me leave the Capitol until yesterday. By the way, he said to tell you he can't pretend he's treating you forever. You have to pick up the phone."_

I said this as I worked. I felt her gaze burning into my face before I looked up again. She looked at me for a while, studying me without saying a word. I frowned slightly as I looked at her, REALLY, looked at her for the first time since she left the Capitol to come here. She was still wearing the same clothes. It also looked like she wasn't eating. My frown deepened a little before she spoke again.

_"What are you doing?"_

_"I went to the woods this morning and dug these up. For her. I thought we could plant them along the side of the house."_

She had a weird look on her face for a few seconds, like she was upset. It passed as soon as it had come. She nodded and closed the window before disappearing. By then I was done planting the last bush so I headed back home. She hadn't said anything about the bushes. I didn't let it bother me much. Her sister's death hit her harder than my family's had hit me. It wasn't because I didn't love them as much as she had loved Prim. It's just that to her, she was everything. Prim was like her daughter; she had taken care of her for so long that it had become the only reason she ever did anything anymore. I had to give her space; she'll come around when she was ready.

About a week after planting the primrose bushes, I was baking cheese buns to take to the workers before I decided to take her some. After I got the basket ready, I put two on a plate and went to her house. As I was closing the door to my house I saw Greasy Sae on her way to Katniss' house too.

"Good morning" I called out to her smiling.

"Good morning Peeta"

"Would you happen to know if Katniss is awake? I brought her these." I said showing her the plate that held the cheese buns. She smiled.

"No, I wouldn't. You can come in and leave them for her though."

"Thanks, Sae," I said as I followed her inside.

As soon as we were inside, Sae began to pull out food to cook. She was cutting something that looked like a squirrel but I couldn't be sure. I looked around for a bit as she continued. The house seemed so quiet. There was dust collected on every flat surface: the kitchen table, the coffee table in the living room; even the stairs had dust on them. It was as if no one lived here.

"Be honest Sae, how is she? Everyone says she's getting better but.." I gesture at the house with my left arm. She outs down the knife to look at me for a few seconds before resuming her work of cutting vegetable. I assume it's so she can see if I can handle the truth.

"She's better, but not by much. She hardly ever gets out of bed, and when she does it isn't for long. She hasn't been eating. She thinks I don't notice that she only picks at her food, but I do. She's only gone hunting once, about a week ago but that's it."

I stood there thinking to myself. I needed to talk to Haymitch and see what he thought I could do to help. But first, I had to deliver the cheese buns to the workers. I placed the plate in the middle of the table before saying goodbye to Sae. I went to my house and picked up the basket. As I was walking to town, I saw Haymitch exit his house. Just the person I wanted to see.

"Haymitch!" I yelled from across the street. He looked around confused before he saw me jogging to him.

"Hi, good to see you boy. What are you doing? Going on a picnic or something?" I chuckled.

"No I'm taking some food to the workers." He grunted as a reply. "Are you going to see Katniss?" He nodded.

"Haven't seen her in a while so I decided I might as well visit."

"Haymitch...do you think..it's because she doesn't want to see me? Because she wants to be Gale?" On second thought, I didn't want to have this discussion right now. "I-I have to go, it's later than usual and they must be wondering where I am. See you later."

He didn't look like he believed me but I didn't try to convince him.

That afternoon I had made up my mind to try new recipes for the bakery. At first I hadn't wanted to have it were the old bakery had been. Too many memories, both good and bad. But then, it had seemed like the best option. That place meant so much to me. It might hurt at first but it was better than forgetting my family. And no matter what happened, I wanted to remember the place where I had first helped Katniss. The bakery was due to open in a month and I wanted to see if I could introduce any new treats. I was trying out a new dough for cookies when I heard a knock at the door. Curious as to who it was, I quickly cleaned my hands and took my apron off before opening the door. As I saw who it was I thought I had finally lost my mind.

"Katniss?"

"Hi Peeta" She said while giving me a tiny smile. She looked nervous. She had changed her clothes. She was now wearing a flowy green top with black tights underneath and her hair was down for once; it had grown down to her shoulders by now. She never wore her hair down by choice but maybe that changed.

"Would you like to come in?" I asked, trying to be polite.

"Oh, no thanks. It's fine. I just wanted to thank you for the cheese buns. I brought you some stew, too."

"Y-you're welcome. It was no problem.."

"Well..I'll see you later" She said before waving and turning around to go back to her house.

I turned around and closed the door. I placed the stew on the table while silently cursing myself for stuttering. Here she was, trying for the first time in I don't know how long and I had showed her I was nervous. I Hoped she didn't notice how shocked I'd been when I first saw her standing at my doorstep. With a groan, I went up to shower before going to bed

I woke up earlier than usual that morning. I'd thought about it while I was in the shower the night before and convinced myself that maybe it was a good idea, so no here I was making cinnamon rolls to take to Katniss. As soon as they were ready, I placed four in a paper bag and six in another one. When I got to her house this time, I didn't hesitate at the door. When I was in though, I saw her sleeping on her couch. It looked like she had built a fire before falling asleep. I smiled at the sight of her cuddled in the fetal position with her blanket half draped over her. As quietly as I was able to, I went over to the kitchen and placed the bag with the four cinnamon rolls on the table, with a note next to it. The other bag was for me and Haymitch. I was going to have that talk with him today.

When I got there, he was passed out on his living room floor. I shook my head at this, and went to make him some coffee to drink. I poured him a cup and pulled out the sugar for him to add to it. When I had made myself a cup of hot chocolate I finally decided to wake him. It wasn't an easy task, and I almost considered waking him in one of the ways Katniss usually had but he woke up before I could. We ate in comfortable silence and I washed the dishes. After putting everything away I sat down across from him at the table. He was already drinking and it wasn't even noon.

"Haymitch, I need advice."

"On the girl?" I nodded. "Okay, what's going on?"

"Well, I miss her but I'm not sure how to approach her..she always runs away.."

"You always seemed to trap her though. You were always good with words." I chuckled at his words.

"Everyone says that."

"Look, I don't know what to tell you kid. Katniss is...well...Katniss. You know what I mean. You know her better than I do and I even then I know that there's only so much you can do."

"Yes but...I don't know what to make of her actions most of the time. She changes her mind so much...like I mentioned earlier what if she already chose Gale and she's waiting for him to come see her from District 2?"

"I don't think you understand Peeta. You see the scars on my face?" I nodded; they looked horrible. As if he'd been scratched by a wild animal. "SHE did this to me when she found out we weren't going back to rescue you too. Back at 13 they kept her sedated for a while, afraid she might do something like that again. They had her wear a bracelet that labeled her mentally insane. And before you say anything, yes Gale was there but that didn't do much for her. She smiled but she wasn't happy. She may have refused to admit it to herself but she already knew she loves you. They only went to rescue you when they did because when she saw you get beat up on tv, she lost it. She even started tying knots like Finnick did."

We sat in silence while I thought it over. When I glanced at the clock I realized I had to leave to make today's delivery on time.

"I have to go bake Haymitch but I'll come back." He grunted at me and I walked out of his house. With plans to come back for dinner.

That evening, I walked back to Haymitch's house with a pot that held stew, and a bag containing some rolls I had baked to go with it. I heard their voices when I first walked in but I couldn't tell what they were saying until I was almost to the kitchen.

"Because I don't know how he feels Haymitch!"

"You don't...You fucking KNOW how he feels! He loves you! Are you fucking blind?"

"How am I supposed to know that?! He tried to kill me who knows how many times!"

I gasped and somewhere in the back of my mind registered that I dropped the food but I didn't really care at the time. She had finally confessed the way she felt because she thought I wasn't there and she didn't have to hold back. Before I knew it, I felt the tears sting my eyes. She got up to come up to me but I ran out before she could get close enough to stop me. Once I shut the door, I slid to the floor and began to cry. I was a monster all because Snow wanted to hurt her. I hated to admit but he actually had, because of me. I got up and threw a vase to the floor, along with a few lamps, before I sat on the carpet in my living room and cried. I cried myself to sleep that night.

When I woke up that morning, Haymitch was sitting on my couch, watching me. I got up slowly and stretched. I noticed the room was spotless. There wasn't even a single shard of glass on the floor.

"Peeta.."

"No, it's okay now I know how she feels."

"Don't mind what she said alright? I upset her thinking she would finally admit to being in love with you but she didn't. She only-"

"It's fine, it doesn't matter," I said, cutting him off.

"It matters. She was trying to upset ME, not you. She asked me to check on you last night but I thought it was best to come now instead. You needed your space."

"Thanks for cleaning..."

"Pets don't make messes that big ya know.." he smiled when he saw me grimace at his comment. "She's coming to see you this afternoon. She was going to come now but I made her stay at my house. I wanted to warn you about it so you could be ready."

"Thanks..for the warning and for cleaning"

He smiled at me before leaving. I laid down on the couch he had just gotten up from and let out a big sigh. After a few minutes, I went to my medicine cabinet in my bathroom to take some painkillers for my headache before taking a shower. Today was Saturday and the construction of the town was on pause until Monday, and I didn't really have anything to do so I took a nap until she finally got here,


	4. Chapter 4

First** of all I want to apologize. I know I havent updated in over a month, and I personally know how frustrating that can be so I'm sorry. I'm about to start my freshman year in college on the 15th so Ive had a bunch of paperwork to take care of. I will try to update once a week, twice if I can but I can't promise I will be able to.** **My computer is urrently in the workshop, getting fixed but it should be ready soon (hopefully)! (: I also wanted to thank y'all for the follows, it makes me happy (: Now, here's chapter four!**

Ch 4: Silver Tongues and Advice From Drunkards

I woke up early that morning, not having slept much at all. I sat up in bed for a few minutes before I felt the nausea sweep over me. I ran to the guest bathroom located down the hall of the second floor, making it just in time before I threw up all over Haymitch's wood flooring. I rinsed my mouth with water twice to try and get rid of the bad taste in my mouth but it didn't help much. Once I was certain I could leave the bathroom without another wave of nausea hitting me, I decided to go downstairs. When I walked downstairs Haymitch was sitting at the table, drinking some coffee.

"Good morning, sweetheart. Would you like some coffee? I shook my head at him. He got up and went to the cupboards. After retrieving a cup, he filled it with water from the tap and handed it to me. "Drink this, you should've drank the one I offered you last night but I guess this is better than nothing."

I muttered a thank you and chugged as much of the water as I could manage. It relieved my dry mouth and I was grateful for that.

"What time is it Haymitch?"

"About 8 am" I nodded and sat across from him at the table.

"Haymitch I don't know how to fix this.."

"You want to be with the boy don't you?"

"Yes"

"Then it's pretty simple. You apologize and make him see that you care about him more than you lead everyone to believe you did."

"Do you have anything to eat for breakfast?" He laughed at me.

"Have you EVER seen me cook in your life, sweetheart? "

"Point taken. Guess I'll head out then." I said as I stood up. When I was at the door Haymitch called out my name andI tturned around to look at him.

"You really don't deserve the boy. Especially if he forgives you. "

"Trust me, Haymitch; I know I don't."

Once I got home I ran into my bathroom to shower. I took my time, enjoying the warmth of the water. Once I was out I wrapped a fluffy white towel around myself and thouroughly brushed my teeth. When I was satisfies that my mouth was completely free of its bad taste, I brushed out my hair and left it down. Then I dressed myself in jeans and a light blue shirt. Before heading out the door I made myself some eggs and it wasn't till they were on my plate that I realized how hungry I was. I practically scarfed them down. After washing the dishes I decided it was time to face my fears.

The walk to his house was short. His house was right across from Haymitch's, and I lived next door to Haymitch. As I walked past his house I saw Haymitch looking at me through his window. I paused briefly to scowl at him and continued towards Peeta's house. I stood at the doorway and

I was about to knock at his door, when I hesitated, holding my closed fist in mid-air. What was I going to say? Suddenly I was grateful for Haymitch forcing me to wait until today to talk to him. Sure, being hung over wasn't the best situation to be in but it sure beat being drunk out of my mind. At least my thoughts were somewhat rational even if my head was pounding.

I knocked on the door before I changed my mind about doing this. A few seconds later, Peeta stood before me, his arms dusted with flour up to his elbows. He wiped his hand on his apron but the flour was still sprinkled in his arms.

''H-hi Peeta''

''Good morning Katniss''

''I...can I talk to you?'' I asked, hoping that no matter what I had done, he would still hear me out.

''Katniss, look I-''

''Please?" I cut him off. He pursed his lips and thought for a couple of seconds before letting out a deep breath.

"Alright"

"Do you mind if I come in?"

He didn't answer; he only opened the door a bit wider and stepped aside, allowing the warm air coming from the oven to flow out into the crisp September air. Always the gentleman, he closed the door behind me. He leaned against the kitchen counter and looked at me as I sat on one of the stools by the breakfast bar. Once, seated I finally allowed myself to look at him as I tried to arrange the words properly. Having silver tongue he does, he words to flowed easier and quicker for him than they ever do for me.

"Look I know you came to apologize but you don't have to. You shouldn't have to apologize for how you feel because you're afraid of hurting my feelings."

"Peeta I-"

"No Katniss! You do, everyone feels bad for me. It's okay though, you don't have to worry."

"Peeta..why.." I sighed and got off he bar stool. "It's not that I feel guilty or whatever nonsense you may think. I spoke without thinking, mainly be cause Haymitch provoked me. I...I care about you Peeta..very much."

"Katniss, it's okay, you can be with Gale. You don't have to pretend anymore." I stood there, paralyzed.

"Peeta Mellark, I cannot believe you just told me that. If I really wanted to be with Gale, don't you think hat I'd be in District 2 with him right now? Or that he would be here?" He started shaking his head and looked like he was about to protest, so I walked up to him and gently took his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me. "When I told you in the cave that you had no competition anywhere, I meant. More than even I thought I could." He finally looked into my eyes.

"Katniss...I attacked you.."

"That wasn't your fault though. It was because of Snow."

"That won't matter, I can still hurt you again. When I remember that I choked you.."

"Please? Snow is dead, don't let him take you from me anyway..." He gently took my hand off his cheek and clasped it in his. He looked into my eyes for a few moments, contemplating everything I had just said.

"I'll be here," he promised before softly kissing the palm of my hand. "Always"

I felt as someone had squeezed my heart as his words. He gave me a small smile, which I returned before the tears started streaming down my cheeks.

**Please remember to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Hi guys! Sorry I hadn't updated in so long :( I keep getting writer's block, and whenever I plan the story I end up writing something different. Sometimes I feel like this story is writing itself! Anyway, thanks for being patient :) I love you all! 3

Ch 5: Frosting and Turkey

I hugged him tightly as the tears continued to run down my face. Peeta just held me and continued trying to soothe me while I cried. He never told me to stop though because he knew it wasn't going to happen, and because they weren't tears of sadness. I couldn't remember how long it had been since I was this happy. And it was all thanks to the boy with the bread. When my tears had finally ceased, neither one of us moved; he continued to stroke my hair gently and I kept my arms locked around his waist. It felt like days had gone by, and yet it also seemed as if time stood still.

"We'll make it through this, Katniss. I promise," he said before wrapping his arms around my waist.

I nodded, my head buried in his chest, and squeezed him a bit tighter. He chuckled at my reaction, causing me to pull back a bit to see his face. My stomach grumbled as soon as I pulled away, causing Peeta to laugh. I scowled at him in mock anger.

"Do I amuse you, Mr. Mellark?"

"As always, Ms. Everdeen. Do I need to ask, or shall I assume you would like something to eat?"

I didn't need to answer his question; one look at my face and he had his answer. He took my hand in his and towed me towards his kitchen. He had about a million pastries sitting on the table. From cakes to brownies to cookies.

"Is this how you get all the girls?" I teased.

"Oh, you've caught me. My plan is ruined! However will I get you to love me now?" I grinned as he said this. Silly Peeta; falling in love with him was something neither of us had control over. "Go ahead, eat something. I'm sorry I only have sweets. I bake when I'm upset."

His statement upset me more than he thought it would have. I grabbed a chocolate chip cookie and immediately bit into it before he noticed.

"Peeta, these are amazing."

He smiled, and had I not known him as much as I do, I may have missed the light pink that spread across his cheeks. He went back to icing an unfinished cake he'd left on the counter. It looked beautiful. It was round and 3-tiered with a periwinkle frosting. As I watched him, he was carefully forming an intricate pattern that consisted of swirls, and was the color of new fallen snow. He looked so peaceful. I sneaked in behind him to get a closer look but I noticed a glass bowl that was filled with the white icing he was currently using. I took advantage of how busy he was with the cake to dip my finger into the bowl before smearing the icing on his cheek. As soon as he realized, he stopped icing the cake. I quickly grabbed the glass bowl and moved away from him as rapidly as I could.

"Oh, so you wanna play dirty now?" He asked before grabbing an even bigger bowl that contained the periwinkle colored frosting. I felt my eyes widen at the sight of him dipping a cooking spoon into the bowl; what had I gotten myself into?

About thirty minutes later, we were covered head to toe in frosting. My hair was covered in so much frosting that you could only see a few patches of brown peeking through the blue. Peeta was worse than me in the sense that on top of the frosting, I had thrown some flour at him. At the moment, we were on the floor, giggling. My stomach hurt from all the laughter.

"I think that you need to help me clean. Seeing as to how it was you who initiated all of this."

"It is your house."

"And it would be clean if someone hadn't come in and made a mess in it."

"If you're gonna be so grumpy about it, I won't come over anymore…" I teased as I got up and headed towards the door. He automatically jumped up and blocked the door.

"Katniss, I was kidding." I smiled and hugged him.

"I know, so was I. Now let's get this mess cleaned up. Where do you keep your cleaning materials?"

"Here," he said as he walked in the direction of a closet under the stairs. He handed me some cleaning cloths, sponges, and soap. "You can clean the countertops and wash the dishes while I mop. Once we're both done, we can start cleaning the walls."

We turned on the radio to listen to as we cleaned. I hummed and danced along to the songs while Peeta sang. He could carry a tune fairly decently. Sooner than I had expected, we were through and cleaning the walls. It all took less than an hour, which, considering the mess we had made, was less time than either of us had expected. He wiped the last remains of icing before turning to give me the biggest smile I'd seen on him since before the Quarter Quell. Maybe my Peeta was coming back to me against all odds.

"I think we should get cleaned up," I said, rather obviously. The icing was completely dried and would be hell to get rid of, so I wanted to get it over with as soon as possible.

"Would you like to join me for dinner tonight?" Now it was my turn to smile like an idiot.

"Of course, I'll be over as soon as I can get this icing off my hair," I declared in a peevish manner, causing him to snicker.

"I'm sorry about that. Icing takes a lot of sugar."

"I can tell. Nevertheless, I'll be off for now and I'll come back as soon as I can."

"Great, I'll walk you out before I start cooking dinner."

He held the door open for me and I thanked him. Once I had gone down the front steps of his porch, I turned around and waved at him. He was leaning against the doorway, a smile playing on his lips; he waved back before moving slowly to close the door.

As I strolled home, I passed Haymitch's house. He was asleep on a rocking chair in his porch and I chuckled at my ex-mentor. I quickly opened the door to my house and locked it with the chain lock before bolting up the stairs. Once I was in my room, I walked straight to the bathroom without bothering to pick out clothes. I opened the faucet for the hot water and peeled off my icing coated clothes as the water began to warm up. I stepped in the shower and turned down the water temperature before it got too hot; I stood for a few minutes, enjoying the feeling of the warm spray that fell from the ceiling shower like rain. I moved towards the panel inside the shower and switched off the water. Immediately, the side sprays went on, coating me in soap. I grabbed my sponge from the shelf and began to scrub myself. The icing wasn't as hard to get off my arms, face, and legs; however, I had to shampoo my hair three times to make sure it was completely clean. I poured some conditioner on my hands and rubbed it in my hair, then I switched on the top spray again and rinsed off. I no longer had to shave since my prep team had put on some mustard yellow lotion that made my hair disappear. I closed off the water and hastily dried myself off with a fluffy towel before wrapping myself in my dark green bathrobe.

Now I had to pick what to wear. After staring at my closet for fifteen minutes, I settled on a thin, charcoal grey sweater and black skinny jeans. In paired them up with some black combat boots I had bought but never worn. As I went to the mirror and brushed out my hair, I decided against braiding it for once: it was time for some sort of change. I smiled a little at the sight of my curls.

I was about to call Peeta when I saw the time. It was seven; I had taken less than an hour showering. He probably hadn't finished dinner yet. I decided to call him either way. The phone rang twice before he picked up.

"Hello?"

"Peeta, hi. It's Katniss."

"Oh, hey! I haven't quite…started dinner. I just finished cleaning.."

"I'll help you. I'll be right there," I said before hanging up.

On my way back to Peeta's, Haymitch wasn't outside. He probably woke up and realized he was out of alcohol. I knocked on the door once and let myself into his house; we both entered his living room at the same time and he grinned. I smiled.

"What do I help with?"

"You're going to cook, Kat?"

"Kat?" I questioned him.

"Uh, yeah. I don't have to use it if you don't like it I just thought-"

"I like it," I said. He looked at me like he'd seen a ghost. I laughed lightly and walked past him towards the kitchen. "Aren't we cooking?" I asked after noticing he just stood there. He nodded and followed me to the kitchen. He had pulled out some turkey and vegetables.

"What's the plan?"

"Well I wanted to bake the turkey with the vegetables and some spices."

"Great, you make dessert and I'll prepare the turkey." He regarded me doubtfully for a few moments before shrugging it off and beginning his search for ingredients.

I approached the sink and washed my hands before touching anything. Once I had dried my hands, I placed the turkey in the pan and began searching for spices in his cupboard. After I found all the spices I wanted, I lightly sprinkled them on the turkey and placed it in the oven. I thoroughly washed the vegetables and began to cut them up into bite sized pieces. Then I fished out a bowl in which they were to wait until the turkey was almost done. I sat down and watched Peeta as he worked. He was kneading some dough, and next to him was a basket full with dinner rolls. I wasn't sure why he had made so many, seeing as to how it was just us two; maybe he wanted to send some to Haymitch. He started rolling out the dough, and placed it in a round pan, filled with what seemed to be apples, before cutting some of the edge off. I had always been fascinated by him when he worked. He seemed so focused on hat he was doing and it was almost inspiring to see someone pay that much attention to a task. That was something that was simply Peeta's, particularly when t involved baking. It made me happy to see him like that. I heard him clear his throat and I snapped out of my reverie, blushing immediately.

"Well, I have to wait for the turkey to be ready before I can put the pie in; so now there's nothing left to do."

"We can always set the table," I suggested.

"Very well. I'll get the place mats, and utensils; you can get the plates and cups."

The rest of the evening passed in the same fashion. Peeta and I were used to being a team, so it was effortless to cooperate together. He complimented me on the turkey about a million times and I ate more dessert than turkey. After we had finished our meal, I had tried to help him clean but he had refused to let me. Instead, he asked me to take Haymitch some dinner. When he insisted on walking me home I refused, telling him I'd be fine having to walk across the street. I hated to leave him, but today had gone so well that I also didn't want to mess that up. When I knocked on Haymitch's door, I heard him grunt so I just walked in. He was sitting on a couch.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" I walked to his kitchen counter and put down the plate on it, purposely ignoring him.

"I brought you some food. And some of Peeta's apple pie."

"And why are you all dressed up, sweetheart?"

"Not now Haymitch, we'll talk about it later." He cackled loudly as I walked out and slammed the door.

As I was about to open the door to my house, I saw an envelope lying on the floor. When I picked it up, I saw that it was addressed to me by none other than Gale Hawthorne.

Please R & R! I promise I'll update faster if you do :) It also really helps my writing improve, and your opinions help me make this story better! Thanks for reading :)


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